Birth defects News

Austin -
The association of Zika virus disease with the birth defect microcephaly has been widely reported. As more data is gathered, research from Brazil shows this is just one of several birth defect related concerns.

Paris -
Concerns have arisen over an epilepsy drug and a connection to birth defects. The concerns not only relate to the drug but also to an alleged attempt by French regulators to conceal the findings.

Ontario veterinarians are concerned over an outbreak of a disease affecting sheep caused by a little known mosquito-borne virus called Cache Valley virus. Their concerns are heightened because the virus also can pose a risk to humans.

Rio De Janeiro -
Brazil's health minister made headlines over remarks he made about Brazil's actions in battling the Zika virus. Brazilian dailies have quoted the minister as saying the country is “badly losing the battle” against the mosquito that transmits Zika.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed in Canada by women who say their babies were harmed after the women took a powerful anti-nausea drug that was not technically approved for use during their pregnancies.

Toronto -
Ninety-five of the victims from the Thalidomide scandal are alive and residing in Canada. They continue to push for justice and have spoken with Minister Ambrose. The Canadian government may soon agree to fund full support of the Thalidomide survivors.

Almost 1.2 million people live in the Appalachia region of the Eastern United States. The region is best known for the mountaintop removal mining (MTR) that is carried out by coal companies to extract the fossil fuel needed to meet our coal demands. .

Mountaintop removal mining (MRM) is an economically advantageous way for companies to extract coal from the Earth, removing over two-and-a-half-times the amount of coal per worker hour than can be done with underground mining. But there is a downside.

Whilst complications that can occur in children of older mothers is well-recognized, older fathers can also pose a risk. Older dads may have children with higher risk of psychiatric disorders, according to a study.

Torrevieja -
Swiss national Katharina Katit-Stäheli lost custody of her 10-month-old, seriously ill son, Dylan. She then kidnapped him and went on the run. Police caught up with her in Spain and she allegedly killed her baby and then turned the knife on herself.

Seattle -
On September 26, United States District Judge Paul Diamond rejected several pharmaceutical companies’ argument that the statute of limitations has passed in cases impacting more than 50 lawsuits brought by alleged thalidomide victims in the U.S.

A new study has found that pregnant women who are diagnosed with cancer can have chemotherapy without endangering their unborn child. Researchers say there appears to be no greater risk of birth defects or other health issues.

France bans pesticide linked to a sharp decline in bee populations across the world in recent years. The phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder may be caused by the bees drinking the nectar from the plants spayed with a Swiss made chemical.

Fallujah -
New research set to be published this week shows birth defects of newborn babies in the Iraqi city of Fallujah have reached epidemic proportions since the city was annihilated six years ago by the US military.

The use of chemical munitions -- such as Depleted Uranium (DU) and White Phosphorous -- in Fallujah in 2004 by the U.S. military appears to be linked to rising birth defects in Iraq and slowly killing thousands upon thousands of our own troops

By injecting a customized "genetic patch" into early stage fish embryos, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis were able to correct a genetic mutation so the embryos developed normally.

Could pollution be the cause of birth defects in China? The country is blaming the heavy pollution for damaging children. Some of the world's most polluted cities lie in China so it stands to reason that pollution could be a key factor in this matter.